Friday, 12 November 2010

Orion Expeditions - Responsible Award Winners

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Orion Expedition Cruises, the leading operator of five-star expedition cruising in the Australasian region, has been named “Best Responsible Cruise Operator” at the 2010 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards which took place at World Travel Market in London this week (World Responsible Tourism Day).

Thousands of tourism organisations and travel experiences were nominated by the public in just 13 categories, with the central tenet being that all types of tourism – from niche to mainstream – can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people. The awards recognise individuals, companies and organisations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and are providing a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation.

Orion Expedition Cruises operates the 106-passenger expedition vessel Orion (above) in the Kimberley region of Australia, the Australian Islands, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and the Sub Antarctic, Melanesia, the Spice and Forgotten Islands and Antarctica. In May 2011, Orion Expedition Cruises will increase the size of its fleet with the addition of a second specialist expedition vessel, Orion II.

Based on thorough research, and following the success of Orion’s recent voyages, Orion II will be based in south-east Asia, offering a wide range of expeditions that will include Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Borneo, the Inland Sea of Japan and the Russian Far East.